


Hands of Time

by Anichibi



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I'm Sorry, It's only spoilers in a like super duper minor sense, M/M, Male My Unit | Byleth, My First Work in This Fandom, Tags Are Fun, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, Verdent Wind Spoilers, and it's like... this, anyway intsys are cowards and claude is bi, debated writing more but it's almost 3 am, i really have no excuse for this, i'll maybe write smth nice for them next time, probably slightly out of character, rated teen just in case
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-01
Updated: 2020-03-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 11:49:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22969540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anichibi/pseuds/Anichibi
Summary: originally this was gonna be linhardt x byleth but then i looked at claude in the draft for that and went "you" and my hand might've slipped and oop! stabbed the boy. and the world needed more claude x m!byleth anyway. maybe not like this though.
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth/Claude von Riegan
Kudos: 16





	Hands of Time

**Author's Note:**

> originally this was gonna be linhardt x byleth but then i looked at claude in the draft for that and went "you" and my hand might've slipped and oop! stabbed the boy. and the world needed more claude x m!byleth anyway. maybe not like this though.

Byleth and Claude had gotten this far, they weren't going to leave until Edelgard was dead. Byleth would compare it to hell on Earth with how many times his allies and closest friends kept getting slaughtered, winding up on the business end of a spear or mauled brutally by one of the demonic beasts. Even so, they reached Edelgard with no casualties thank to the blessing of Divine Pulse. Claude drew her attention with a well-aimed arrow, but that's when things went south.

A nearby archer got him in the shoulder, drawing his attention. He took them out quickly, but he was slow to react to Edelgard now right in front of him, axe raised high above her head. The world seemed to slow down as it came down in a blur, digging into the archer's flesh. A guttural scream ripped from Claude's throat, drawing the attention of most, if not all of those present in the room.

Byleth felt like the world stopped.

Claude stumbled as Edelgard's axe was ripped out of his shoulder, wordlessly falling to his knees. Byleth had never run so fast in his life. Edelgard raised her now blood-covered axe again, intent on ending the life of the Alliance leader. Byleth thought he felt tears in his eyes. The empress brought the axe down, but the blade was stopped short as Byleth skidded to a halt in front of Claude, the Sword of the Creator holding back Aymr with great effort. Byleth's arms were shaking with the effort. He thought he heard Claude weakly call to him before a small but audible thud behind him signified the passing of the Alliance leader.

Byleth, strength renewed by a surge of rage, pushed back Aymr's blade, which moments before was dangerously close to his shoulder. The empress skidded back from the force and started speaking, but words were too muffled for the professor to hear. All he could hear was his heart pounding in his ears and his own voice as he yelled, charging at Edelgard with sword in hand. In his blind rage, he didn't see the axe coming down until it was already digging into his flesh, smashing a few bones as it went through his shoulder. Edelgard's expression was pained, but she returned to her neutral expression as she shoved the professor back to Claude, leaving him to bleed out.

Byleth's whole body felt sore, and the pain blooming from his shoulder was an afterthought at this point. Something brushed against his hand and he weakly turned to see Claude, who Byleth had assumed to have died moments before, now reaching out for the professor's hand. Byleth mustered the strength to move his arm closer to the other, and the archer's hand fell into his own almost lazily. "H...Heya, Teach. I messed up... p-pretty bad, huh? S-Sorry. Th-Though, I... guess saying "sorry" now... isn't gonna... do us any good... is it? I just... hope... the others... can clean up... my mess..." Claude's voice, now raspy and weak, grew weaker with every word before eventually, he stopped talking altogether. His eyes were closed, never to open again. Byleth would be following him soon, it seemed. With each painful, aching breath, he knew he was getting closer and closer to death. Just before this could come to pass, time froze. Slowly, the hands of times turned back.

Maybe this time, Byleth wouldn't have to watch his beloved die again.

**Author's Note:**

> i'm pretty sure i cried writing this but because i go into this weird trance when i'm writing i have absolutely no clue if i did. oops.


End file.
